The Trump administration has launched a large-scale Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minnesota’s Twin Cities aimed primarily at Somali nationals with final deportation orders, according to internal documents and an official cited by The New York Times on Tuesday.
The operation will bring roughly 100 federal agents from around the country into Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of what the Times described as an aggressive enforcement surge.
The deployment follows recent White House attention on a taxpayer-fraud case involving members of Minnesota’s Somali community.
We don’t complain about problems, we fix them.
Under the leadership of President Trump, DHS is taking on the incessant immigration fraud in Minnesota that has robbed billions of dollars from U.S. taxpayers.
We’re just getting started. pic.twitter.com/xzCtK9HD3p
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 2, 2025
ICE “strike teams” will focus largely on individuals with final removal orders while potentially detaining others with unresolved immigration cases.
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The Times reported the initiative is part of a broader national push that has included recent actions in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte.
Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin declined to comment on “future or potential operations” but pushed back on suggestions that the plan targets specific groups.
“What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally,” McLaughlin told the Daily Caller.
The Times reported that the directive came as President Donald Trump intensified public statements regarding Somalis in the United States.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump RIPPED the imported Somalis we have in our country
“Somalis have caused us a LOT of trouble, and they cost us a LOT of money!”
“What the HELL are we paying Somalia for?!!”
“We have ILHAN OMAR who does nothing but complain about our constitution and… pic.twitter.com/IhaPhOAwrC
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 28, 2025
.@POTUS tells it like it is about ungrateful Somali refugees amid the Minnesota fraud scandal:
“When they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch — we don’t want them in our country. Let ’em go back to where they came from and fix it.” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fuaAKP8VsW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 2, 2025
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz sharply criticized the operation, characterizing it as a political maneuver rather than a legitimate public-safety effort.
“We welcome support in investigating and prosecuting crime. But pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem,” Walz posted on X.
We welcome support in investigating and prosecuting crime. But pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem. https://t.co/Y3vd0tLRmG
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) December 2, 2025
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday referenced a Times investigation into fraud committed by individuals within Minnesota’s Somali diaspora, saying Somalis in Minneapolis had “ripped off American taxpayers.”
The Times noted, however, that while fraud occurred, only a small number of individuals were convicted.
Minneapolis and St. Paul both have policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, though recent federal actions have tested those boundaries.
A June enforcement operation near downtown Minneapolis led to clashes with protesters, and a mid-November Saint Paul raid resulted in 14 arrests, according to the Times.
The Times reported that ICE’s Minnesota operation is beginning this week and will serve as the latest component of President Trump’s broader immigration enforcement strategy, which includes fulfilling his pledge to carry out mass deportations.
Officials cited by the Times said the administration has used large-scale deployments not only to execute removal orders but also to deter unlawful presence by creating a heightened enforcement environment.
According to the documents reviewed by the Times, the Twin Cities surge will proceed despite opposition from local officials.
The operation adds to a growing list of large enforcement actions in major metropolitan areas as the administration moves forward with its national immigration agenda.
